A friend recently asked me a question related to leadership, which got me thinking about my leadership style and how I have developed over the years as a leader. Here are my thoughts.

Being a good leader starts with recognizing that you can’t do it alone. My LinkedIn cover photo is a quote from an African proverb:

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”

Early on, I used to think, “Wow! It must be so cool to be a leader — the person in charge. You can tell people what to do and they will follow. Isn’t that awesome?”

Throughout the years that followed those teenage thoughts, I learned I was wrong. Being that bossy person isn’t cool — it’s literally the opposite: very uncool! Nobody wants to be bossed around or told what to do — I certainly don’t.